Lesson Plans

In editing The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, CSAC has accumulated an archive of more than 70,000 primary source documents from the Founding era. CSAC has created the lesson plans below to facilitate the use of these documents in classrooms. These lesson plans are suggestions. Some modification may be necessary based on grade level and classroom considerations.

A Series of Lesson Plan Books Published by the CSAC

The Creation and Ratification of the Constitution

• Part I. The Constitutional Convention

• • The Purpose of the Philadelphia Convention
  • The Plans at the Philadelphia Convention
  • Assessing the Convention

• Part II. The Ratification of the Constitution

• • The Debate over the Nature of Republican Government
  • The Debate over the Three Branches of Government
  • The Debate over a Bill of Rights
  • The Issue of Religious Liberty during Ratification
  • The Use of Visual Symbols during Ratification
  • The Use of Metaphors during Ratification
  • Political Humor during Ratification
  • The Processes of Amending or Adopting a Constitution
  • The Process of Ratification: A Case Study of Four States

Scripted Conversations: The Federalist and Antifederalists Debate the Constitution

• Scripted Debate on the Nature of the Union
• Scripted Debate on the Executive Branch
• Scripted Debate on the House of Representatives
• Scripted Debate on the Senate
• Scripted Debate on the Judicial Branch
• Scripted Debate on the Bill of Rights

Scripted Conversations: The Supreme Court on Executive Power

• The Federalists and Antifederalists Debate the Executive Branch
• The Supreme Court on Executive War Powers
• The Supreme Court on Executive War Powers and Terrorism
• The Supreme Court on Executive Privilege
• The Supreme Court on the Relationship Between the Executive and Legislative Branches

Lesson Plans Using Materials on the CSAC Website

• Calls for the Right to Bear Arms During the Ratification Period – One lesson suggestion
• Militias and the Standing Army During the Ratification Period – A Socratic Seminar lesson suggestion
• Federal Pillars Illustrations – Two lesson suggestions
• Poetry During the Ratification Period – Five lesson suggestions
• Celebrations of the Constitution – Two lesson suggestions
• Metaphors Used to Describe the Constitution – Four lesson suggestions
• Political Humor and Satire – Four lesson suggestions using a Reader’s Theater format
• Founders on the Founders – Six lesson suggestions
• Quaker Opposition to the Constitution – One lesson suggestion
• Instructions to the Convention Delegates – One lesson suggestion
• The Confederation Congress and the Constitution – One lesson suggestion
• The Press and the Constitution – Two lesson suggestions
• Recommended Amendments and the Creation of the Bill of Rights – One lesson suggestion
• Religious Freedom: A Scripted Conversation with James Madison and Thomas Jefferson